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VHCC to Expand Tutoring Services

Posted Date: 11/30/2012

Tutoring services at Virginia Highlands Community College soon will be expanded to include additional online and on-campus sessions that will provide greater flexibility to the College’s diverse student population.

A $40,000 grant provided by Virginia’s Community Colleges is allowing VHCC to develop tutoring workshops for those enrolled in developmental math courses and to offer SmartThinking, a live, online tutoring service that provides expert tutoring in writing, reading, mathematics, science, business, nursing and allied health, computers and technology, Spanish, and English for speakers of other languages.

SmartThinking already is offered to a small segment of the student population and now will be available to all students, including those who are simultaneously earning high school and college credit for college-level classes completed through the Dual Enrollment Program. VHCC currently offers Dual Enrollment classes at Smyth County Career and Technical Center, Neff Career and Technical Center, plus Abingdon, Chilhowie, Holston, John Battle, Northwood, Virginia High, and Patrick Henry high schools in Virginia, and Johnson County High School in Tennessee.

“We’re excited to have this opportunity to add tutoring options that will allow students to receive the academic assistance they need, when they need it,” said Stacey Dorton, tutor coordinator. “The new workshops will provide additional help for groups of students who need help with basic math concepts before advancing to college-level work. The online component will allow us to reach a whole new group of students, including both Dual Enrollment students and those taking on-line courses.

And, she added, since students can access SmartThinking 24-hours a day, it will be particularly helpful to students who are studying at night, preparing for a test, or struggling with homework.

The VHCC Tutoring Center is a partnership between the College and Project EXCEL, a federally funded outreach program that provides specialized services to at-risk students and those with disabilities. All tutoring services are offered at no additional cost to students.